Nonrotatable hub cap



Sept. 13,1938. GDBALLETAL 2,130,220

NONROTATABLE HUB CAP Filed Oct. 8, 1957 1 N VEN TOR5.

Y. ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT FFME NoNRo'rA'rABLE HUB CAP George D. Ball and Charles L. Tumulty, Alexandria, Ind.

9 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to a non-rotatable hub cap structure.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a hub cap structure which may be readily substituted for a standard,'normally rotatable, hub

LU The chief feature of the invention is the arrangement and construction of the device Whereby the foregoing object is accomplished.

Other objects and features will appear more fully hereinafter.

isi-1.35 The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims:

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a central sectional view through one embodiment of the hub cap structure,

i220 including the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front View thereof.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated av base plate IU of dished formation having its peripheral edge I I turned back and beaded as at I2. Suitably secured to the inside of this plate as by welding or the like, is a sleeve portion I3, the projecting edge Ill of which is turned back to form a beaded arrangement I5. The parts thus described are substantially identical to parts of a standard hub cap structure, it being understood for the purpose of disclosing this invention, the plate I0 has covering the same an outer cover plate of suitable ornamented design, the same being rigidly secured to said base plate at its periphery by being crimped or curled around the beaded edge I2.

This standard hub cover cap is frictionally associated with the wheel hub structure through the sleeve portion I3. This is conventional pracfl) tice and is merely set forth herein for an understanding of the invention, it being understood thereby that the mounting of the structure upon the wheel hub is through the portion I3 in the conventional manner and, therefore, the portion 45 I3 and the supporting base I0 rotate with the Wheel hub.

The present invention is arranged to utilize these standard portions but in place of having the cover plate before mentioned rigidly secured to the 50 base plate I Il, there is now provided a cover plate I 6 which has its peripheral edge II turned inwardly as at I8 and masks but is disassociated from the edge I I--I2 of the base plate. This cover structure may be suitably ornamented and have a 55 suitable central formation. Herein it is provided with a central well portion I9. This well portion may be a continuation of the portion I6 or may be of a detachable insert character. It may be suitably ornamented.

A sleeve includes near one end an exterior 5 groove 2I and the portion I9 or the portion I6, if desired, includes suitable anchoring means, herein shown in the form of clips 22 welded to the portion I9 and having the finger portions 22a seatable in the groove. Through this arrangement,`10 the cover cap I3 is rigidly associated with the sleeve 2l). Any other suitable connection may be provided, however. The reason for this type of connection is that the parts I D and I3 together with the parts hereinafter to be described may be 15 fabricated in mass production for a large variety of vehicles and only the portion I6, as desired, may be utilized.

The sleeve 20 is provided with two spaced internal grooves 23 and 24. Split locking rings 25` 0 and 26, respectively, retain in the sleeve 20 against axial displacement, an anti-friction structure indicated generally by the numeral 21, the outer sleeve portion 28 of which is relatively rigid with the sleeve 20 and the inner sleeve portion 29 of 25 which is rotatable relative thereto by reason of the balls 30.

A spindle 3I having the head portion 32 extends through and bears against, respectively, the inner raceway portion 29. A spacing sleeve structure 33 30 bears against the opposite face of the inner race- Way member 29 and serves as a spacer to position the race structure in predetermined position on the spindle 3| relative to the plate I0. 'Ihe spacing sleeve or collar 33 may be enlarged laterally 35 as at 34 to provide a greater area in contact with the sheet metal base plate I0.

The base plate I0 is apertured as at 35 and the same registers With a threaded opening 36 in the spindle 3l. A relatively large washer 31 is posi- '40 tioned on the opposite side of the base plate l0 and the cap screw 38 extends through the washer 31, the aperture in the base plate I0, and is threaded into the threaded opening 36 of the spindle 3|. v This rigidly connects the spindle 45 structure to a base plate I0 and by reason of the spacing sleeve 33-34 and the head portion 32, the anti-friction structure is positivelypositioned with respect to the base plate in connection with axial displacement. Thus, the interior end of the sleeve 20 is maintained out of contact with the base plate IU so that the entire masking or cover structure has no contact with the base plate IIl and is relatively rotatably supported with respect thereto, it, of course, being understood that in op- .strictive in character.

eration it is the base plate I0 which rotates and the cover plate I6 which remains stationary.

If the weight of the parts associated with and including the cover plate IE is insuflicient for gravity to maintain the same relatively stationary when the base plate l0 is rotated, due to what slight friction there be between the supporting members, there may be provided suitable counterweighting means 4U and suitably secured to the interior of the cover plate structure, for example, as by means of the weld 4l.

Thus, there is provided a structure, the cover plate of which completely masks the wheel hub in substantially the same manner as a standard hub cap does but it does not rotate.

It will be quite apparent, therefore, that basically this explanation of the present invention is common thereto and that the basic result thereof is complete masking of the hub structure and nonrotation of the hub cover plate.

While the invention has been described in great `detail in the foregoing description and the drawi-ng similarly-illustrates the same, the aforesaid is by way of illustration only and is not re- The Aseveral modifications which will readily suggest themselves to persons .skilledin this art, are all considered within the broad scopeof this invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

Theinvention claimed is:

1. A non-rotatable hub cap structure includ- 4Ving in combination a main .hub cap formingbase `with an interior hub anchorable sleeve and ro- ,.ripheral edge enveloping but spaced from the peripheral edge of said base, and said means preventing ,axial separation whereby peripheral edge clearance is maintained.

' 3. A device as defined by claim l, characterized by the addition of .Weight means operatively .associated with the cover plate .to resist rotation thereof.

4. A vrelatively stationary hub cap structure including in combination a cover plate, a sleeve operatively connected thereto, anti-friction means therein-a spindle therein, a main hub cap structure -secured to the spindle and arranged for wheel hub anchorage, the sleeve having an exterior groove thereon, and means engageable in A.theexteriorgroovefor detachably connecting the cover plateto the sleeve.

5.. A relatively stationaryhub cap structure including in combinationa cover plate, a sleeve operatively-connected thereto, anti-friction means therein, a spindle therein, a main hub cap struc- .ture `secured .tothe spindle .and arranged for wheel hub anchorage, the sleeve including a pair of spaced internal grooves, and means therein located at opposite sides of the anti-friction means preventing axial displacement therebetween.

6.` A relatively stationary hub cap structure including in combination a cover plate, a sleeve operatively connected thereto, anti-friction means therein, a spindle therein, a main hub cap structure secured to the spindle and arranged for wheel hub anchorage, the sleeve having an exterior groove thereon, means detachably connecting the cover plate to the sleeve, said sleeve also including a pair of spaced internal grooves, and means located in each internal groove and located at opposite sides of the anti-friction means and preventing axial displacement between the sleeve and anti-friction means.

7. A relatively stationary hub cap structure including in combination a cover plate, a sleeve operatively connected thereto, anti-friction means therein, a spindle therein, a main hub cap structure secured to the spindle and arranged for wheel hub anchorage, sleeve means about the spindle and laterally interposed between the antifriction means and vthe hub cap structure for spacing the rst mentioned sleeve therefrom, the lrst mentioned sleeve having an exterior groove thereon, and means engageable in the exterior groove for. detachably connecting the cover plate to the sleeve.

8. A relatively stationary hub cap structure including in combination a cover plate, a sleeve operatively connected thereto, anti-frictionfmeans therein, a spindle therein, a main hub cap structure secured to the spindle and arranged for wheel hub anchorage, sleeve means about the spindle and laterally interposed between the antifriction means and the hub cap structure for spacing the first mentioned sleeve therefrom, the sleeve including a pair of spaced internal grooves, and means therein located'at opposite sides of the anti-friction means preventing axial displacement between the sleeve andanti-friction means.

9. A relatively stationary hub cap structure including in combi-nation a cover plate, a sleeve operatively connected thereto, anti-friction means therein, a spindle therein, a main hub cap structure secured to the spindle and arranged for Wheel hub anchorage, sleeve means about the spindle and laterally interposed between the antifriction means and the hub cap structure for spacing the rst mentioned sleeve therefrom, the first .mentioned sleeve having an exterior groove thereon, means associated with the groove detachably connecting the cover plate to the sleeve, said virst mentioned sleeve including a pair of spaced internal grooves, and means located in each and located at vopposite sides of the antifrictionmeans preventing axial displacement between the sleeve and anti-friction means.

GEORGE D. BALL. CHARLES L. TUMULTY. 

